


Go Away (Please Stay)

by HappyJuicyfruit



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Derek Needs To Use His Words, First Dates, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Hurt Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pack Politics, Stiles Stilinski is a Little Shit, Werebunny Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 06:32:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15455421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyJuicyfruit/pseuds/HappyJuicyfruit
Summary: Derek becomes obsessed with the scent of another shifter on Hale pack land. He vows to keep this shifter out at all cost.. Until he actually sees him.Meanwhile, Stiles is annoyed someone keeps putting up keep out signs in his favorite place to eat.





	Go Away (Please Stay)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my second work for Sterek Reversebang 2018 :) This time with lovely art from the amazing aqua-ref.  
> My wonderful beta sarcasmandgrowls helped fix all of my grammar mistakes :) 
> 
> This one if super fluffy with bunny Stiles! So I don't really have many warnings, Stiles gets stuck in a trap at one point and panics a bit, but he's okay :) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Art can be found [here](http://aqua-ref.tumblr.com/post/176356424254/another-one-for-sterekreversebang-featuring-bunny)

 

Derek sat in the passenger seat of the Camaro, lazily watching the scenery pass. He was beginning to recognize these trees, which meant they were almost there.

 

Almost home.

 

For the first time in two years.

 

Laura sat in the driver's seat, and talked  away about her plans for the two of them. Derek mostly ignored her; he was too busy thinking about seeing home again. He couldn’t tell if he was excited or nervous.  Two years was a long time, and he hoped at least the gardens looked the same.

 

The Hale pack was forced to flee their hometown when a group of deranged hunters set their house on fire. None of them were killed, thankfully, but one of their own was seriously injured. The hunters were caught by the police and sent to prison, but the Hales didn’t feel safe after that. They’d set up a homebase with an ally pack a state over and stayed with them until his mother, Alpha Talia Hale, was sure all of the hunters involved were caught.

 

Two years. That’s how long it took for the Hale pack to catch all of the Argents and their known associates. Derek had not been allowed to be involved, he had been ‘too young’, but he knew his aunts and uncles had been fighting the Argents this whole time. But as of two weeks ago, the last Argent had finally been dealt with.

 

They were finally safe.

 

More importantly, Beacon Hills was finally safe - hence the road trip.

 

Their mother told Laura that because an Alpha must stay with their pack Laura, as the Alpha heir (or the Alpha Princess, as Cora liked to call her), had the duty and privilege to reclaim their homeland and set it up for the rest of the pack. It was Laura’s job to make sure their home was rebuilt and safe for the pups. It was also Laura’s job to ensure the town was completely free of hunters before the rest of the pack arrived.

 

Laura accepted the job with pride, and beamed at her first official responsibility as the Alpha heir. She was taking this all very seriously, and already had started the process of demolishing their old house and making plans with the contractors for a new home before they even had left Arizona.

 

Derek, on the other hand, was simply  told he had to help his sister. He didn’t have a duty or privilege like Laura; he just had to go too because Mother thought it would be unfair to send Laura back all by herself.

 

Like it was fair to send only Derek with her? He didn’t know anything about home makeovers- what the hell was he supposed to do?

 

In short, this sucked. He finally graduated high school in May, and was being forced to postpone his first semester of college for _this_.

 

It was bullshit.

 

Derek slumped in his seat as they passed the sign for Beacon Hills.

 

He could not wait to get this over with and go to college.

 

\--

 

As Laura pulled into their old driveway Derek felt his stomach clench. Where once used to be a three story building home to the largest pack in California now sat a giant hole.

 

The demolition team had done a great job. There was nothing left of his childhood home here.

 

Laura cleared her throat beside him, voice shaky when she spoke, “They, uh, they did that faster than I expected…”

 

Derek grunted- they should have just gone straight to their hotel.

 

Laura unclicked her seatbelt, and hopped out of the car with her eyes focused on the giant hole in the earth. Derek followed her silently.

 

The two stood together at the edge of the pit, right where their front porch used to be. Derek wrapped his fingers around Laura’s hand when she slipped her hand into his. This was a shock for both of them, and they both need the support of each other.

 

After another moment, Laura cleared her throat again. This time when she spoke there was no quiver in her voice. “Alright, I’m meeting with the construction team tomorrow. We’ve already decided on some plans, but they need an official signature before anything can get started. And...”

 

Laura kept talking, but Derek wasn’t listening anymore. Instead his eyes roamed across their property, taking in the once beautiful bushes and flower beds that were now outrageously overgrown.

 

At least it still smelled the same.

 

Except.. What the fuck was that?

 

Derek lifted his head, sniffing the air. Laura was too busy typing something into her phone to notice Derek as he wandered towards the trees. Derek caught the scent again, stronger this time. His eyes flashed in anger when he figured it out what it was.

 

Another shifter had been lurking around their property. They must have spent a lot of time here if Derek could catch their scent so easily.

 

Who the hell did they think they were, coming onto Hale land uninvited? Just because the Hale’s were gone did _not_ mean their territory was open to anyone.

 

Derek clenched his fists and began trying to follow the scent into the woods, but Laura called him back before he got very far.

 

“We have so much to do Derek- you can’t go for a run in the woods now.”

 

Derek rolled his eyes, “I wasn’t going for a run, I caught the scent of something. Another shifter.”

 

Laura frowned and lifted her nose to scent the air, “Hmm. Weird. There’s only one scent though, so it’s not worth worrying about right now.” Laura shrugged and headed back to the car.

 

“Shouldn’t we call Mom or something?” Derek asked exasperated

 

It was Laura’s turn to roll her eyes, “It’s fine, Derek. Other shifters are allowed to live in Beacon Hills. Mom will deal with it when comes.”

 

Derek frowned as he climbed into the car, growling at her when she teased him for pouting.

 

He was going to do something about this shifter before his mom got back, whether Laura approved or not.

 

\--

 

Stiles practically was skipping by the time he reached the preserve. Which was better than hopping, considering he was supposed to keep that on the downlow, but it would still be slightly embarrassing if anyone was around to see him. There wasn’t though- it was the main reason he was out here in the first place.

 

Ever since he was a little kid, the preserve was the only place he could really unleash. His mom used to take him out here for long runs, just the two of them.

 

Today, it was just him… like every other day since his mom passed away. This was his favorite part of the day though. The only time he truly felt like himself… truly felt connected to his mom.

He saw her everywhere, out here. He saw her in the trees, in the flowers… sometimes he felt like she was still running beside him, if he ran fast enough.

 

Sometimes he would look over his shoulder and catch sight of her wide smile, her long curly ears. If only just for a second.

 

See - some people got cars from their parents. Some people got athletic skills, or pretty eyes. Stiles got to be a badass wererabbit, just like his mother.

 

Growing up, his mother told him stories about other wererabbits. How they would claim a territory and grow as a family. He always craved it, a large family of people whom he could run around with, but he was happy with it being just the two of them.

 

For now he was happy by himself. He had his dad at home who supported him whenever he felt the urge to unfurl his floppy ears in the house. He had Scott and Melissa, who totally understood whenever Stiles accidentally shifted in his sleep at their place. It was like he had his own little mini colony. He had plans to fly to Poland and hunt out his long lost family..someday.. when he was older.

 

Right now, he was happy to hop around the preserve on his own.

 

Stiles took one last glance around, making sure there was no one in sight before he slipped off his shoes. As he stuffed his shoes into his bag, he began to shift. His feet grew longer and stronger. The ears on the side of his head vanished, and long ears perked up at the top of his head. He felt the tiny whiskers grow around his twitching nose, and suddenly everything in the forest was much more intense.

 

The sounds and smells were fresh and vibrant once he adjusted to his form. The flowers in particular smelled divine today.

 

He shoved his jeans down a bit, allowing more room for his tail to wiggle around, before setting off at an easy lope. He headed for his favorite spot, the old Hale house, where he knew the most tasty plants grew.

 

He picked up the pace as he got farther into the preserve, enjoying the wind flowing through his hair and ears. His feet thumped a steady rhythm on the forest floor with his excitement and energy.

 

He slowed when he neared the house as his ears picked up in alert and his nose twitched. There was the scent of another shifter here, possibly a wolf. The rabbit in him wanted to shrink away from the danger, but Stiles pushed forward. He was a wererabbit warrior, he could take on one.. or two… stupid wolves.

 

Besides, this was Hale land. They didn’t have any right to be here without Hale permission.

 

He didn't hear anything as he approached, but he was shocked at what he saw when he entered the clearing. The house was gone and in its place an empty pit loomed in the ground.

 

And the flower beds around it were _ruined_!

 

The barbarians! They allowed _machines_ to run all over the lilacs! The bush poppies! The sage! The little patches of clover! The Hales would have never allowed such lazy work! Such disregard for the wildlife around them! Stiles stomped his foot in outrage.

 

It was then that he noticed all the signs: _Keep Out, Stay Away, Private Property._

 

Either the Hales had finally sold their precious home, or the county finally condemned the place. Had kids been messing around here recently? Had someone been injured? Stiles was sure he would have noticed, but he was pissed either way.

 

Well, whatever. Even if some human, or other wolf, had bought the house, it was still Hale territory until the Hales spoke otherwise. So whoever they were could take those signs and shove them right up their fluffy, wolfy ass. Stiles wasn’t going anywhere.

 

He hopped away from the new hole sadly, thinking of all of the tasty plants carelessly ruined. He decided to head to his second favorite spot, thankfully not much farther away.

 

Safe in his little meadow, Stiles hunkered down amongst the flowers and ferns. He plucked a few dandelions and started munching happily.

 

Nothing could stop him from coming here and enjoying his rabbit time, not even a wolf.

 

—

 

Derek hammered in the last nail and stepped back to admire his work. Three large signs now circled the old Hale house, informing anyone who wandered by that this was private property and they should keep away.

 

So, there. Any shifter would see the signs and leave since this was now clearly marked as someone else's territory. 100% guaranteed- the shifter just needed a little reminder that this home belonged to someone else. It would work... assuming they weren’t feral and they knew how to read.

 

Derek dusted off his hands and bent down to gather up the last of his tools. Satisfied this would put a stop to the strange otherwere’s scent, Derek finally headed to his rental car to do what Laura had actually asked him to do today- check on Peter.

 

Laura had a meeting with the contractors and was busy making a lot of boring decisions about the house. Derek was supposed to be checking in on Peter, and then do a thorough search of the town. Mostly to make sure the hunters were all really gone, but also to see if any new supernatural creatures had arrived since they left. Beacon Hills was a beacon to all supernatural after all. It was important to keep track of the supernatural coming and goings.

 

Derek was sure this annoying shifter that tried to lay a claim to their land was one of those new arrivals.  They would realize their mistake now, and do what all the other supers do- stay inside of the little town and stay _off_ Hale land. As long as they all did that, no one had any problems. They could all live here peacefully.  

 

It would be fine. As long as they obeyed the damn signs. Which Derek was 85% sure they would.

 

\--

 

Peter looked slightly better since Derek saw him last.. The scars on his face had receded, shocking all of his nurses, but he was still unconscious. His hand twitched when Derek awkwardly patted his shoulder, but the nurse said that was normal. Coma patients often moved on their own despite what they said in movies.

 

Derek decided to take it as a good sign anyways.

 

He sat beside Peter’s bed for a while, and flipped through a few magazines. Peter needed to spend a few hours a month with a pack member to keep the pack bond. The stronger the pack bond, the better Peter would heal. Everyone has taken a turn returning to Beacon Hills to be at Peter’s bedside, and now it was Derek’s turn.

 

No one had mentioned though how boring it was.

 

Not that he was going to leave, or anything. Peter was the only reason they were all here today, and Derek was extremely grateful. He just wished there was something else to occupy himself, that was all. With a sigh he leaned forward and rested his hands on Peter’s legs. Physical touch helped the bond strengthen faster after all. His eyes moved across Peter’s worn face as got lost in his thoughts.

 

On the night of the fire, Peter had woken up in the middle of the night and ran through the flames to warn them all. He then pushed through the front door, also covered in flames, in order to help them all get out. The hunters had tried to trap them, but they were not anticipating a wolf to willfully push themselves into deadly flames to save the rest of the pack. Peter would have died if his parents hadn’t rushed him to the hospital as fast as they did.

 

The rest of the pack dealt with the hunters.

 

Derek was only 16 at the time. It was traumatizing, for sure, but they were all there for each other, so Derek always felt understood when he woke up from nightmares or avoided open flames. He never really thought about what would have happened if him or anyone in his family had died… Or the fact that Peter had been the one to save him.

 

Maybe he could.. make Peter a cake or something when he woke up. What flavor would say, ‘sorry you were unconscious for two years but thank you for saving us all’? Chocolate?

No that was too dark.. Lemon?

 

He thought about that for a while, and started second guessing himself that Peter even liked cake. By the time he had decided on a strawberry rhubarb pie a nurse was coming by to tell him visiting hours were over. Derek had to go.

 

He gave Peter one last gentle pat before leaving, promising him that he and Laura were taking care of everything. Peter had nothing to worry about. Laura was taking care of the house, and Derek was like 50% sure he had solved the shifter problem. No one else would be on Hale land by the time Peter woke up. Derek was 35% sure of it.

 

Just to make sure, Derek left the hospital and pointed his car towards the preserve. He would check to make the sure the signs worked, and then he would do what Laura asked him to do afterwards and surveillance the town. It would be quick, and it was necessary.

 

There was only a 20% chance the signs would work, after all.

 

\--

 

Derek stepped out of his car and immediately inhaled the fresh scent of another shifter.

Son of a bitch, the signs hadn’t worked.

 

Derek was pissed.

 

\--

 

Today, Stiles decided to avoid the old house and the giant hole that it left behind. The new owner clearly didn’t want anyone there, and all of the tasty plants had been ruined anyway. Stiles would go to his little meadow and everyone would be happy.

 

He thought this was a grand ol’ plan until he actually reached his little meadow, and then he froze.

 

There were signs all over the meadow. Not just signs either, but across every tree entering the small clearing ran a barbed wire. Stiles glanced around and saw that there weren’t any new signs anywhere else, just here.

 

Stiles started laughing as he easily ducked under the barb wire. Whoever this wolf was, they must had sniffed out where Stiles had been yesterday and put up new signs here.

 

Well, sucks to be them. Stiles wasn’t going anywhere. He knew for a fact that no one had any legal claim to this land. This land belonged to Beacon Hills Wildlife Reserve.  The Hale home property line ended three feet before his meadow. The territory line for werewolves continues on, but that’s for Hales. This wolf might have bought the new house, but that does _not_ mean they had any say in who entered Hale territory.

 

Stiles plucked a dandelion, chewing on the stem as he observed the new signs. They were similar to the old ones, keep away, private property, yada yada. Stiles pulled out a Sharpie as he bit into the sour part of the flowers petals. He cackled loudly as he drew faces across the signs.

 

His message was clear - the rabbit was not going anywhere.

 

\--

 

“Oh my god, dude! Tell me you’re joking!” Scott laughed, pausing his game to turn and face Stiles.

 

Stiles smiled crookedly at him, flicking his ears in Scott’s direction as he flopped down on Scott’s bed. “Nope. Full on barbed wire, all around a tiny harmless meadow. If a human walks by there, they’re going to think the new owner is crazy.”

 

Scott laughed, shaking his head, “and you wrote notes on the signs? What did you say?”

 

Stiles shrugged, “some doodles. A few ‘fuck you’s’. The dude has no leg to stand on, man, he can’t tell me where I can eat.”

 

He and Scott snickered for a few more moments, but then Scott’s face got all serious. Stiles groaned, he hated when Scott got all serious.

 

“Maybe you shouldn’t go back there though,” Scott said, eyes flicking up to Stiles rabbit ears, “just on the safe side.”

 

“What, and let them win? I’ve been going and eating on the preserve my whole life, Scott, I’m not going to let some bully stop me now.”

 

“Stiles, the Hales were attacked on that preserve like, barely two years ago. And that was their home! I’m just saying, you’re a lone bunny-”

 

“Rabbit.” Stiles grumbled.

 

“You’re a lone _shifter_ when you’re out in those woods. Just be careful, man. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Scott’s eyes were practically pleading with him, so Stiles sighed dramatically and agreed.

 

“Fine. I won’t write on the signs again.”

 

Scott nodded, “good.”

 

“But I’m still going out there. They can’t stop me from going in the preserve entirely.” Stiles said, crossing his arms in annoyance, “I’m a mighty wererabbit, I’ll be fine even if I’m alone.”

 

“Whatever you say, buddy,” Scott said, running a hand over Stiles ear. Stiles batted him away with a huff.

 

\--

 

It’s been a week. An entire week of warnings to stay away, to respect the Hale territory line. A week of nothing but politeness in Derek’s part.

 

And a week of complete mockery from the other shifter.

 

First they had ignored him, then they had _drawn on his signs!_ He still couldn’t tell what the drawings were, after staring at the little doodles for over an hour in anger. He thinks it might be a drawing of a werewolf, perhaps to make fun of Derek himself? He wasn’t sure, the artist was horrible at drawing whatever it was.

 

It’s been a week - and the bastard hadn’t shown even a hint of a plan to leave. It was probably a stupid werecoyote. They usually ran without packs, and they could be super annoying. Derek could totally see a coyote being this disrespectful.

 

So, Derek had decided to stop being polite. He’s through with signs. Through with warnings. He’s going to make it clear he means business.

 

Derek smirked as he bent down to set up the last of his traps, right in the center of the stupid shifters favorite clearing. There are ten traps in total scattered around the area, and Derek was sure it would make the shifter clue in that they are _not_ welcome here.

 

Derek stood up and scattered a handful of leaves over the trap. There. If the shifter won’t be polite, neither will he.

 

Time to get rid of this nuisance once and for all.

 

—

 

Stiles is actually excited to see what knew addition will be up this time. Yesterday it had been the giant _I’m serious, leave_ sign, which had been hilarious - especially since it wasn’t bought at a store, no- that beauty was handmade.

 

He had broken his promise to Scott for that sign. He wished he could have seen the look on the wolf’s face when they saw the picture of a rabbit sticking its tongue out that Stiles had drawn. Stiles was sure it would have been hilarious.

 

He trotted into the forest, shifting once he was far enough in so he can bounce through the trees with ease, munching on a carrot to tide him over before he reached his favorite bushes.

 

He never reached the bushes.

 

Halfway through the hallway of signs, as Stiles had taken to calling them, he cried out in pain and fell to the forest floor as a trap circled his ankle.

 

Stiles tried to pull away, but he was stuck. He wasn’t like a wolf, or other types of were. He didn’t have that enhanced strength to pry the trap off of him. He tried anyway, but looking at the mangled mess of his leg just makes him panic more.

 

His chest tightened and he felt tears prickle in the corner of his eyes. He tried to grab his phone out, but it flew out of his shaking hands and out of his reach.

 

Well - now he was really screwed.

 

Stiles frantically looked around himself, but all he could see were his own useless school supplies and a carrot. The signs, which had been funny a minute ago, now looked large and foreboding.

 

Crap, had Scott been right? Should he have left the wolf alone and found another area in the forest to eat in?

 

Stiles held back a sob as a spike of pain shot up his leg. He couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning this place to a new wolf. This was Hale land. This was his last connection to his mother. This was his favorite place to be, his home away from home.

 

But it wasn’t worth dying over.

 

Stiles sniffed, hands uselessly trying to pry the trap open. He wished his mom was here, she would have known what to do.

 

—

 

Derek knew he had a smug smile on his face all day, but he couldn’t seem to whip it off. He kept thinking of the shifters reaction, and how he’d finally gotten the upper hand on their silent battle.  So instead of trying to play it down, he just accepted it, and used it to his advantage whenever someone thought he was flirting with them. Flirting was a good excuse as any for why he was wandering around town aimlessly anyway.

 

He was finally doing that check in around town that Laura had been badgering him to do. Thus far, he didn’t see the point. Everything looked exactly the same.

 

The family of elves were still living in the apartment beside the movie theater. The nymphs were still settled in in the park on Main Street. The old werecat, who had settled down with her human family members, still lived on the other side of town. No new supers had arrived, and all of the hunters had left.

 

The town was peaceful.

 

Which was great, because that meant there was a lot of room this stupid new shifter could settle into - once they got the hell off of Hale land.

 

Derek just had one last place in the town to check before he could go check on his traps. He slammed the door of the Camaro and sauntered up to his old high schools front door, ignoring the looks of a few straggling teenagers who have stayed behind well after school ended. Derek walked into the building, smiling the same smug smile he’s been smiling all day when he walked up the display case and saw that his picture was still there.

 

Good to know that even though he had been forced to spend his last two years of high school somewhere else, Beacon Hills still remembered him as the best basketball player they ever had. He still wished he could have played his last game here, instead of in stupid Arizona. It had just never been the same over there.

 

Derek finally pried himself away from staring at his own face to search the halls of the high school. Like the rest of the town, it looked exactly the same. The lockers were still old and creaky, and classrooms were still filled with tiny wooden desks. He even spotted most of his old teachers. He paused outside of the boys locker room when a familiar scent hit his nose.

 

For the first time this entire week, doubt started to cloud over Derek’s thoughts.

 

What had the shifter been doing here, in the high school? Were they just a kid? That would explain the drawings, actually, but Derek had never really considered…

 

He shook his head. The shifter might be a new teacher, for all he knew. It didn’t matter how old they were, they were still another supernatural creature invading Hale land - even if they were only in high school, they should know better.

 

And traps were nothing to shifters, right? They would just walk away with a few scratches and that would be it. They would heal quick, it would be fine. Derek would find some blood, and probably the lingering smells of anger and annoyance, but then they would leave the land alone and everything would go back to normal…

 

Right?

 

An image of Cora, his baby sister, small for a ninth grader and stuck in a fox trap that _Derek_ had set up passed before his eyes. Shit.

 

Derek did not run to his car.

He did not.

 

He only drove slightly over the speed limit in order to get back to the preserve in a totally normal amount of time. He did not race here, not at all.

 

He was also not panting at all by the time he made it to the clearing, but he did rest against a tree as his eyes landed on the source for the rapid beating heart Derek had been able to hear from a mile away.

 

He had been expecting the blood of a coyote, or the annoyed scent of another wolf.

 

He had _not_ been expecting to catch a fucking _bunny_.

 

And he had definitely not been expecting the bunny to look so _adorable_.

 

Fuck.

 

\--

Stiles was already in a full blown panic when a strange man came up and crouched down beside him. He tried to scramble away from this new threat, his rabbit instincts blaring at him that he should be hiding, he should have burrowed into the ground as soon as he realized he was in danger. He should not be sitting in the middle of a fucking field by himself for any prey to come by and eat him!

 

It took him a long time to realize the man was talking.

 

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” the man whispered, hand hovering mid air. Yeah fucking right, buddy. That’s what they all said before they stuffed you in an oven.

 

Stiles flinched back when the man moved closer, and he instantly backed off. Stiles took a few deep breaths, eyes narrowed on the man.

 

“I just want to get the trap off you, alright? That’s all I’m going to do. It’s okay.”

 

Stiles stared at him. He knows he’s shaking like a leaf. He knows he’s going to be extremely embarrassed by this after it’s all over, but he can’t get his rabbit instincts to trust a stranger. He can’t stop himself from thinking he’s about to be eaten.

 

The man stared at him right back, but he didn’t say anything else. He also made no more moves toward Stiles. It’s that, more than any words he could have said, that allowed Stiles to trust him. If he wanted to kill him to eat him, he would have done it by now..

 

Unless he liked a chase?

 

Stiles shook that thought off, pulling himself an inch farther away but pushing his ankle towards the stranger. He barely nodded before the man was leaning forward and ripping the trap off of him.

 

Stiles scrambled backwards, clutching his injured ankle and keeping an eye on the stranger. The stranger dropped the trap and held up his hands, not making any more movement. His eyes are entirely on Stiles ankle.

 

Stiles takes a few deep breaths to stop the tears that are still streaming down his face. The man’s stare became more and more intense as time passed.

 

With a shake of his head, Stiles cleared his throat, “thanks for getting that off me.. I guess I’ll go now.” He released his hold on his ankle, grimacing when fresh blood gushed over his hand.

 

Damnit.

 

“Why isn’t it healing?” The stranger asked, voice intense. Stiles looked at him in confusion. “You’re a shifter. It’s been long enough, it should be healing.”

 

Stiles sighed, “I’m a rabbit, we don’t heal as fast as other shifters.” The man’s face paled, and he looked like Stiles had just told him he might lose his whole foot or something, Stiles was quick to reassure him, “don’t worry, it will all be healed by tomorrow morning… afternoon by the latest.”

 

“I am so sorry!” The man said, face still pale with worry. “I didn’t know - I thought all shifters healed the same! I’m so sorry!”

 

Stiles shrugged, “it’s not your fault-” he started to say, but then he paused as a few things started to click into place. Not only did the stranger know about shifters, but he had ripped the metal trap off of Stiles ankle so quickly he was probably a shifter himself. Stiles sniffed the air, confirming his suspicion.

 

Only one other shifter would be out here in his meadow: the stupid wolf who had bought the Hale house.

 

“You set _traps_?! Are you serious?” Stiles yelled, flailing around the hand not being used to stench his blood flow.

 

“I didn’t think you would get hurt by them!” The wolf said, having the decency to look like he felt bad, at least.

 

“Whatever, you dick, what if a human had walked by? Someone could have been seriously hurt!”

 

The wolf's look of remorse did not last long, “any other person would have seen the signs and not come here in the first place.”

 

Stiles ears twitched, he was so angry. “You can’t put up keep out signs, man, this isn’t even your property. The property line for the house ends three feet before this meadow!”

 

The wolf gaped at him, “how do you know that?”

 

“Because I’ve been hopping around here since I was a little kid! And you can’t stop me!”

 

The wolf growled, “this might not be our legal property, but is still our _territory_. I don’t care how long you’ve been ‘hopping’ around here, you need to leave!”

 

Stiles laughed, “fuck you, man. Just because you bought land on Hale territory does not mean you get to made decisions for the Hales. Talia Hale _herself_ gave me and my mother permission to hop on this land, and some moronic new wolf trying to find a place in the preserve, or whatever, is not going to stop me from coming here and enjoying my rabbit time!!” Stiles was panting by the time he finished his little rant. The wolf was looking away sheepishly, though, so he felt like he had gotten his point across.

 

Good.

 

A few moments later, the wolf awkwardly scratched his head, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know my mother had given you permission to come here.”

 

Stiles frowned, “your mother? You’re…” Stiles thought back, remembering all of Talia Hale’s kids. She only had one son-

 

“I’m Derek Hale. My sister and I just moved back here to rebuild the house.”

 

Stiles sighed, slumping against the grass. So the Hales hadn’t sold their home after all, they had just sent in the puppies to do the rebuilding. Stiles chastised himself, he should have thought about that possibility.

 

“I’m Stiles Stilinski. I eat your plants, and in exchange help your guys gardens.”

 

“I am really sorry, Stiles, I didn't think you would be hurt so badly by my traps.”

 

Stiles waved him off, “it’s fine, honest mistake. Especially considering you wolfy super healing.”

 

Derek nodded, giving him a hesitant smile. Stiles smiled back, thinking the big bad wolf actually had quite a cute little smile. Maybe, now that all their drama was settled, Stiles might get to know Derek a little better and-

 

“I definitely would not have set those traps out in the first place if I had known you were only a _bunny-_ ”

 

“I am a _rabbit_!” Stiles snapped back, happy thoughts he had for the wolf evaporating.

 

Derek held up his hands placatingly, “sorry, I just meant. I would never want to hurt a cute little rabbit like you.”

 

“I am not _cute_ ,” Stiles huffed, “I am _manly as hell_ ! I am a mighty rabbit who does not need the help of some stupid, mangy, _wolf_!”

 

Derek nodded along with him seriously, but Stiles could see the smile he was trying to hide. The bastard.

 

“You can come here anytime you want, I promise I’ll remove all the signs, and all the traps.”

 

“I don’t need some patronizing wolf telling me where I can and can not go. I know I can come here anytime I want! And what the hell do you mean by _traps_? There are more of them?!” Stiles looked around in alarm, drawing his limbs closer to himself.

 

“There’s um.. a few more,” Derek said, looking sheepish again. “Don’t worry, I can help you back to your house.”

 

“I don’t need your help,” Stiles replied snappily. His righteous anger dimmed a bit, however, when he fell over on his first attempt to stand.

 

Derek was beside him in a second. “I won’t tell anyone if I carry you out of here.”

 

Stiles glared at him, “of course you won’t, you would be the villain of that story.”

 

Derek rolled his eyes, “come on, let me help you home, it's the least I can do.”

 

Stiles continued to glare at him, but one last look at his bloody ankle made him sigh in resignation. “Fine. But I’m coming back here to eat those poppies tomorrow.”

 

Derek nodded, “of course.”

 

A second later Stiles was scooped into Derek’s arms, and was being safely carried out of the woods.

 

And if Stiles thought the arms holding him felt rather nice and soft around him, well, no one had to know that.

 

—

 

Derek stood in the doorway of the Stilinski household, shifting nervously. He adjusted his grip on the flowers before raising his hand and lightly knocking on the door.

 

Stiles probably already knew he was here, but his dad was human. It was a common courtesy.

 

The fact that he had managed to convince the adorable and fiery little bunny to go out to dinner with him was nothing short of a miracle. It was an apology dinner, of course, for hurting Stiles and making him feel unwelcome on land his own mother had already welcomed him on… but.. Derek was also hoping that maybe after tonight, Stiles will want to see more of him. In a more.. dating type way.

 

He could only hope.

 

The door opened, and Derek was faced with a middle aged, sandy haired, Sheriff. In his full Sheriff uniform. Gun and everything. Derek swallowed nervously, trying for a smile that probably became a grimace.

 

“Hello. I’m Derek Hale. Is Stiles-?”

 

“Oh I know who you are, son,” the Sheriff put his hands on his hip.. one hand dangerously close to his gun. “You’re the kid who set those traps for my boy.”

 

Derek wasn’t entirely sure, but he was pretty sure that his face was now the shade of a sunburnt lobster. “I-I- yes, sorry, this is- I’m taking him out as an apology- I never meant to-“

 

“Mhm, and what are your intentions towards my son? Aside from apologizing?”

 

Jesus Christ. Derek had not prepared for this.

 

“I-I- your son is a very fine young man, I-“

 

“Oh my god, Dad, leave him alone,” Stiles head popped up beside his father as he elbowed past the man to get to Derek, “aw, did you bring me flowers?”

 

“Yes.” Derek thrust the flowers at the man, grateful for the interruption.

 

“Aw, cute. These will be delicious later!” Stiles sniffed the flowers happily before handing them over to his dad.

 

Right. Stiles ate flowers. Hopefully Derek had chosen a good kind, he’d just picked the most colorful ones.

 

“Ready to go?” Derek asked, eyeing the Sheriff warily. The man just smiled at him.

 

“Yep! See you later pops, don’t wait up.”

 

“Be back by eleven,” the man replied.

 

Stiles rolled his eyes, “seriously?”

 

“Yes, seriously.” Stiles sighed dramatically, which apparently meant he agreed since neither men said anything else about it. “Oh, and Derek?”

 

“Yes, sir?” Derek asked, freezing mid step.

 

“Hurt him again and you’ll find out exactly what type of wolfsbane my bullets are full of.”

 

With those parting words, the older man shut the door on Derek’s petrified face.

 

Stiles loud laughter did not help the situation at all.

 

—

 

Derek had chosen a casual Italian restaurant for his apology dinner. He’d dressed nice-ish, in a soft grey Henley, and he was glad to see Stiles had done the same. The boy wore a plaid button up with jeans, and Derek smiled as he watched Stiles order the vegetable lasagna.

 

This was going better than he had hoped.

 

“Are you a vegetarian?” He asked after the waiter walked away. Stiles smiled at him, shrugging as he took a sip of water.

 

“Kind of? I eat burgers sometimes, and I’ll have a steak if my dad cooks it, but for the most part I stick to the veggies. The rabbit in me likes it better.” Derek nodded, that made sense. “What about you? I noticed you ordered pizza covered in meat, are you entirely a carnivore?”

 

Derek snorted, “no. I just like meat.. I guess you're right though, the wolf in me does prefer it.”

 

“Who would have thought a wolf and a rabbit could have a nice dinner together?” Stiles teased. Derek’s smile brightened. Stiles thought their dinner was nice.

 

“I hope a wolf and a rabbit can do a lot of nice things together, in the future,” Derek said, leaning forward a bit.

 

Stiles blushed prettily, but didn’t reply. That was okay though, Derek could smell his happiness and arousal from here. He had no doubt that Stiles was smelling the same from him.

 

He found out a lot about Stiles that dinner. He was a senior at Beacon Hills, and had already been accepted into Berkeley. Derek was happy to hear that, as that was the school he himself was planning to attend.

 

Stiles mother had passed away a few years ago, which was one of the reasons Stiles was so attached to the preserve. Derek felt like even more of an ass after finding that out, but Stiles waved him off. He said Derek had a right to defend his territory against a mighty rabbit. Derek agreed that he had been a worthy foe, causing Stiles to laugh gleefully. Though he didn’t seem to believe him.

 

“I’m serious, those drawings pissed the hell out of me. I’ve barely done anything Laura has wanted me to do this week, I was so distracted!”

 

Stiles threw his head back as he laughed, Derek watched the long lines of Stiles throat.

 

“I wish I could have seen your face when you saw the rabbit I drew on you ‘I’m serious’ sign. It must have been hilarious.”

 

Derek raised an unimpressed brow, “that was supposed to me a rabbit?”

 

“Yes,” Stiles made an offended sound, “what did you think it was?”

 

“A bastardized attempt at a werewolf? I had no idea.. though I can kind of see it now, with the bunny ears and everything.”

 

“Rabbit ears!” Stiles snapped back, but he was still grinning at him.

 

“Mighty rabbit ears,” Derek agreed.

 

Stiles scent bloomed with happiness. Derek savored it.

 

—

Derek had planned a movie after dinner, but they had talked for so long in the restaurant they ran out of time. Derek settled for a walk in the park instead, as it was a nice extra addition to dinner while still getting Stiles home in time.

 

During the walk Derek told Stiles all of Laura’s plans for the new home. He promised to include Stiles in the plans for the gardens - something Stiles seemed overjoyed to hear.

 

Sooner than he would have liked, they arrived back at the Stilinski's door. Derek wanted to lean in for a goodbye kiss, but he couldn’t. This was an apology dinner, after all, not a date.

 

“Sorry again, by the way. I’m glad your ankle is healed.”

 

Stiles smiled, moving his foot around, “consider yourself fully forgiven.”

 

“Thank you. And sorry we missed the movie.”

 

Stiles shrugged, “next time.”

 

Derek’s heart skipped a beat at those two simple words, Stiles smiled at him coyly, since he had clearly heard it.

 

Before he could react, Stiles pushed forward and pressed a quick peck on to Derek’s lips. He was gone as fast as he’d come, but he still left Derek smiling.

 

“I had a really great time tonight, Derek.”

 

“Me too. I’ll, um, text you tomorrow?” Derek asked hopefully.

 

Stiles nodded, “yeah. Maybe we can go for a run in the preserve together.”

 

“I’d like that,” Derek smiled, feeling relieved.

 

He waved as Stiles entered his house, and then scurried away when he caught sight of the Sheriff.

 

Derek drove home knowing that he was going to be seeing a lot more of Stiles from now on.

He couldn’t wait to get to know the feisty wererabbit better.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave kudos or comments to let me know what you think! :)
> 
> [Come say hi on tumblr!](http://happyjuicyfruit.tumblr.com/)


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